For this lesson plan, nursing undergraduates from a university will study self-reflection techniques. In order to assess students’ knowledge retention, it will be necessary to utilize an essay test to ensure that learners have a solid grasp of the topic. Individuals’ writing coherence can show their affinity to analytical skills, which are an essential part of this subject (Sumarni et al., 2018). All essays must briefly cover vital objectives from the lesson. As this topic heavily relies on individuals’ critical thinking abilities, their personal understanding of self-reflection must be completed in writing form to avoid scripted output from checklists and similar evaluation techniques (Gathu, 2022). Essays can ensure that each student can reveal what facts they comprehend or failed to perceive after studying the subject.
To achieve the lesson’s goal of explaining the benefits of critical self-reflection, it is possible to ask students to answer these questions:
- How can a nurse engage in reflective practice in a meaningful way?
- What is the goal of reflective practice for a student nurse?
The pitfalls that reflective practice can introduce must also be checked for understanding through prompts, such as:
- What steps does a nurse need to take before acting on new ideas?
- What factors can lead to a deteriorating quality of care from insufficiently studied approaches stemming from self-reflection?
By outlining the advantages and downsides of this method, undergraduates can perceive the complexity of the subject and incorporate it into their future internships. Such concrete questions can encourage students to create a link between practice and theory, as patient outcomes rely on both factual knowledge and nurses’ analytical abilities (Mitchell et al., 2020). In conclusion, essay tests can be efficiently utilized to promote self-reflection and critical thinking abilities among nursing undergraduates.
References
Gathu, C. (2022). Facilitators and barriers of reflective learning in postgraduate medical education: A narrative review. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 9, 238212052210961. Web.
Mitchell, K. M., Blanchard, L., & Roberts, T. (2020). Seeking transformation: How students in nursing view their academic writing context – a qualitative systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 17(1). Web.
Sumarni, W., Supardi, K. I., & Widiarti, N. (2018). Development of assessment instruments to measure critical thinking skills. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 349. Web.